Uncle Dan Steps Up

Granite-willed, softhearted, old (80) "Uncle Dan" Willard last week made good a ten-year threat. He resigned as $60,000-a-year President of B. & O., stepped up to a less active chairmanship, turned over the throttle to Western Union's Roy Barton White. Oldest R.R. president in the U.S., he had headed B. & 0. for 31 years, was the last link between the days of Harriman-Hill-Gould and the regulation-cramped ICC. But spry Uncle Dan hated to knock off. Said he: "I wish I were only 60 and could keep on. I love it."

He got his love for railroads watching the Central Vermont's famous engine, General Taylor, cross his father's pastures in North Hartland, Vt. One day in April 1879, he decided to find out where it went, got a job as a $1-a-day section hand, worked up as fireman, locomotive engineer, machinist, trainmaster and superintendent. At 43 he became vice president of James J. Hill's Burlington. When in 1910 he got his call to put B. & O. in order, Hill fought to hold him, vainly offered to merge the Burlington and Great Northern, make Uncle Dan president of the whole works.

At B. & 0. Uncle Dan became famous the country over as labor's best friend in management. An old brotherhood member himself in his engineer days, he believed in the unions, tried to work with them, helped settle the 1922 shopworkers' strike. He tried to make his workers feel the railroad was theirs too, keynoted his advertisements: "70,000 of us invite you to ride our railroad." So in the dark winter of 1931-32 labor listened when he told them the carriers could not make the grade unless labor took a 10% wage cut.

Despite his age, Dan Willard never slipped behind the times. The only sign in his office reads: "Suggestions are always in order." Over 40,000 suggestions have come from the rank & file--many of which Uncle Dan adopted. He helped pioneer air-conditioned cars, plugged for 2-c- passenger fares on the Eastern roads. Though he holds twelve honorary degrees and has a place on the Johns Hopkins Board, he prizes most the degree his employes gave him at a big dinner in 1931: Doctor of Humanity in the University of Life and Labor.

In recent years Uncle Dan has had his troubles. With a funded debt of $670,133,000 in 1938, B. & O. had to pay out $32,184,000 in fixed charges. That year the line lost $13,124,530 and it looked as if the courts came next. But Uncle Dan made the fur fly, got $8,233,000 from his old friend Jesse Jones, sold a ditch of a canal to PWA for $2,000,000, persuaded Congress to pass the Chandler Act, so astutely worded that it helped no other trunk line, but let B. & 0. cut its fixed charges to $19,349,000 in 1939.

Today President White (who worked for B. & O. 25 years, and Central of New Jersey seven years, before going to Western Union) takes over with the tracks almost clear. Last year B. & O. made $5,549,497 after all charges. During the first quarter of this year B. & O. had a net operating income (before fixed charges, taxes, etc.) of $10,316,672--up 112% over 1940. But Roy White, like Uncle Dan, likes railroading in general, B. & O. in particular, no matter what the signals read. In his new job he takes a $25,000-a-year cut in salary (from $85,000), but to be back in railroading he figures it is worth it.

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